Euthyphro

Euthyphro

Name

PHI208 Ethics and Moral Reasoning

Professor

December 9, 2013

The concept of holiness starts when Socrates tells Euthyphro that he is being charged for defying the gods and creating new gods. Euthyphro then tells Socrates that he is prosecuting his father for murder. Socrates finds it odd that Euthyphro is prosecuting his father and Socrates asks Euthypro what piety is and what is impiety. Socrates always had questions about religion and wants Euthypro to clear things up for him because Socrates was being prosecuted for creating his own form of religion and its legitimacy. Socrates wants to know Euthyphro thinks about prosecuting his own father.

Euthypro gives three definitions on what are piety and impiety and Socrates challenges the thought process used by Euthypro. Euthypro’s first argument states that everyone that does wrong should be punished, even if it is your own father.

Euthypro gives the example of Zuess punishing his father. Socrates dismisses this definition by stating that the prosecuting of his father was only an example of a virtuous deed and there are other deeds that are righteous and virtuous.

Euthypro’s second definition is that is if God is pleased then that means that it is holy and if God is displeased then it means that it is unholy. Socrates dismisses this by telling Euthypro that the God’s opinions vary when difference of opinions arise.

Euthypro states in his third definition that something is pious because God says that it’s pious and something is impious because God says that it is impious. Socrates asks Euthypro if things are pious because God says they are pious or do things become pious by nature.

I think that Socrates’ goal was to be sure that Euthypro’s beliefs were just. If Euthypro’s beliefs were just, Socrates should have been brought up...